


Última Luz

by orphan_account



Category: Coco (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Everyone Is Alive, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, i decided to have ocs in here because why not?, ish, so this is not set in the land of the dead
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-17
Updated: 2019-01-18
Packaged: 2019-10-11 18:13:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17451923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: All his life Miguel  has been shielded from the harsh realities of the world he lives in with his adopted family in the Santa Cecilia Safe Zone. Until one day is it taken, and finds out the truth of life beyond the walls.Lost, alone, and afraid, Miguel needs to get home before he becomes one of the infected himself.





	1. Chapter 1: Lost Boy

**Author's Note:**

> This first chapter is quite mild in comparison to what I have planned for later chapters and it will only get worse from here on in - or so I plan. 
> 
> For now, please enjoy the chapter!

“Miguel, aren’t you forgetting something?” Imelda asked, back to the boy as she cleaned the kitchen sides. He supposed he should have expected being caught, his Mamá Imelda always knew when he tried to sneak out without eating his breakfast, or making his bed and his chores. Heaving a sigh, his shoulders sagged, “I don’t think so Mamá.”  
A slender eyebrow arched, before she was placing her hands on her hips and turning to face him. Clicking her tongue, she urged, “are you sure?” 

“Uh… sí?” A cheeky yet wavering smile filled his features, little dimple forming. Fondly, Imelda shook her head, returning to her task before offering, “breakfast, Miguel, breakfast.”

A chuckle passed Miguel’s lips, as he rubbed the back of his neck, “oh-” 

“You have to eat before even thinking about sneaking out of this house,” she chided, though her tone was somewhat soft. It wasn’t so much of a telling off, but rather a reminder that she worried about him, without being to overt. He nodded, rolling his eyes as he grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl on his way out of the kitchen, “I’ll remember tomorrow, Mamá, I promise!” With that said, he was jogging away, Imelda slightly waving after him with a mirthful fondness radiating in her chest. That child, she thought, what am I to do… 

As he left the yard, he waved to his Mamá Coco, who was just returning with some nice looking foods, “Buenos días!” It seems the family were being treated tonight, which was definitely a rarity. There must have been a good crop brought in.  
Coco shook her head fondly, knowing exactly where he was headed. It was with this knowing that she was waving after him with a smile, calling out to him, “Papá Julio is out in the plaza! Be careful Miguel!”  
Of course, he understood why they were all so cautious, but really? He’d be fine! He just wish they would see that; he wasn’t a little kid anymore, he wanted to help out his family and make sure he looked after them, just as much as they had looked after him. 

It wasn’t long before Miguel spotted Julio, accompanied by the twins. He dashed over, skidding to a slight stop before he beamed up at the three of them, “Papá Julio! I want to come help you today.”  
It wasn’t uncommon for both Felipe and Oscar to sigh, mostly in sympathy - they knew the boy wanted to help, but given everything that was happening, they understood why Julio was so reluctant. Not to mention the fear of Imelda’s wrath if anything were to happen to the boy; when she wanted to be, she could certainly be a scary woman, whether intentional or not. 

“Ay, Miguel,” Julio started, rubbing his hands together nervously, before adjusting his hat atop his head, “I think that it might be best if you stay inside today-”  
“But! Papá Julio! You always say that. I’m not going to get in your way, I promise!” Miguel clasped his hands together, his smile as wide as possible in hopes it would add some convincing streak to his argument. Julio shook his head, scratching at his chin as he thought. Blue eyes shot between both Oscar and Felipe, before he rubbed a hand down his face, “Miguel- I really think you should go back. It’s for the best, mijo.” 

“Sí, Papá Julio is right, Miguel,” Oscar urged, hand coming to rest on the boy’s shoulder, “it’s better if you stay inside for now-”  
“You can join us some other time,” Felipe interjected, with a nod of his head, before returning to silence. All three then took turns to ruffle Miguel’s hair, offering their temporary farewells. Miguel watched with a huff as the three walked over to the group of other fixer-uppers that had been waiting for them. Once they were ready, the group began to leave the town.

“It’s for the best,” Miguel echoed, brows furrowing in annoyance as he folded his arms over his chest. Tapping his foot, pout remaining on his features, he thought of ways in which he could join them; they didn’t have to know how he got out. A smirk grew on his lips, eyes glinting with a mischievous glow. It didn’t take much for him to make up his mind and he was sprinting away as fast as he could. 

Letting out a triumphant laugh, Miguel was running through the Plaza, weaving through the usual faces he saw there. A small girl was waving towards him, yelling, “Buenos días, Miguel! Will you be around later on?”  
Nodding, he called back, “sí, don’t be late meeting me this time, Carene!” With a little jump to his step, he quickly avoided an elderly lady, before returning his attention to Carene. By her side was her mother, Fernanda, who gave him a soft smile as her eyebrow raised, “she won’t be late, Miguel, she’s missed you these past couple of days.” A good-hearted chuckle passed Fernanda’s lips as Carene tugged on her skirt, “mamá! Don’t tell him that!” 

Shaking his head as he jokingly rolled his eyes, Miguel was soon leaving the two behind, jumping onto a pile of bricks before hoisting himself up onto the roof connecting to the outer wall. He snuck along the top,growing nearer to the large tree that had started to grow into the abandoned house, hands guiding branches out of his line of sight. This little place had been left alone since the start of everything, so no one had ever seen him make his way through the area. No one, especially, knew about how the trees’ large branches overhung the wall, drooping down to the outside. 

It was the perfect place to escape the constraints of the inside of Santa Cecilia’s walls. He knew that if Mamá Imelda found out she would probably lose her mind, but he just couldn’t stand being stuck in one place all of the time. A pause stilled his body, anxiety causing him to check over his shoulder a couple more times before he finally started to climb the tree. He did his usual course; up three sturdy branches, skip around the trunk and then down the one long leafy arm all the way to the ground. 

Miguel jumped from the branch and landed clumsily with a soft gasp. Around him were the usual abandoned homes, the occasional bark of a street dog and the odd silence that had come to befall the surroundings over time.He remembered when the streets there used to be lively with people, cheering, clapping, dancing, going about their daily business- they were happy memories. 

Huffing, Miguel began to move, walking through the lonesome streets, shuddering at the sheer quiet within them. He didn’t think he was easy to scare, but even these streets had him on edge. There was something not right about them. Not anymore. 

“Find Papá Julio,” he muttered to himself, “just find-” 

There was a sharp rattle of metal sounding from his right, causing Miguel to freeze in place. Hunching into himself, trying his best to keep his breathing calm, he warily stepped closer to the mouth of the alley where the sound had come from. The rattling sounded again, softer this time, and as Miguel gained the courage to approach the alley entirely, he was met with a small street dog, white and brown in colour. It yelped, before scampering away, leaving behind whatever it had been looking for in the metal bins. Taking a deep breath, Miguel could only feel relieved. 

“Just a dog,” he whispered, hand over his heart as he closed his eyes, “just a dog…” A small, light chuckle escaped him, as he warily rubbed the back of his neck, somewhat embarrassed; he’d been spooked by a dog. 

Shaking his head, he stuffed his hands into his pockets, beginning to walk again. This time, no dog would spook him. He was going to find Papá Julio, Oscar and Felipe and he was going to help them with the wall maintenance. That’s what he had in mind, but the others stalking him did not intend to let that happen. 

They had watched him from the moment he climbed from the tree, eyes narrowed and cautious. What they couldn’t understand was why a child would escape from such a safe place. Were the rumours of them untruthful? That would certainly be a shame. They would have come all this way for nothing. It was undeniable, this assumption had them annoyed, but they were quickly reminded by their cohort that they needed to stay focused. They had come to collect something, alas, they would have to leave the area empty handed. Unless, they pondered, they left with the child. 

Miguel continued on his way, the lurking figures going undetected by him. A smug smirk was carved into his face, proud that he had managed to get out beyond the walls so quickly. He’d love to see the look on his family’s faces when he arrived at the wall, the same time, or thereabouts, as they did. A laugh passed his lips, though it was cut short by hands harshly tugging at his jacket. 

The force of the tug had him stumbling, the boy landing on his back as his feet tripped over each other.A sharp gasp of pain shot through his teeth, before he was looking up to see who had grabbed him. Yet, all he was met with were two looming figures, far too big for Miguel to handle. A look of fear coursed through his features, heart beating wildly as his adrenaline kicked in. Maybe he could run away? 

Without really putting too much thought behind it, he was up on his feet, running away as fast as his legs could carry him. Breaths tore harshly through his lungs, leaving them burning with exhaustion. He could feel himself needing to stop, rest, but his adrenaline urged him further, especially when a loud yell sounded close behind him, “stop running, kid!” 

He let out a cry, feeling tears form in his eyes, blurring his vision; Miguel shot down a thin alley, the path filled with old debris and empty boxes, barely missing them as he passed. He cried out, tipping over a pile of boxes, in hopes that it would slow down his pursuers, “leave me alone-”

Rather than slowing them down, it seemed to annoy them, and soon Miguel could feel them breathing down his neck. It made his skin crawl and body wish it was faster, but soon he was going to have to realise his defeat. A hand clasped around the hood of his jacket, yanking him off his feet once again. The boy was then pinned, his wrists tied as he kicked out his legs. He was certain he heard one of the pursuers groan in pain, as Miguel’s foot connected with his shin. It only cause them to tie his ankles, too, before finally covering his face with a material bag, obscuring his vision.


	2. Chapter 2: Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miguel meets a lot of new people and it's kind of overwhelming.

“He’s quite heavy for a kid.” 

“Quiet, amigo, you’ll wake him up.” 

“So what? He’s been asleep for the past couple hours, that should be enough.” 

“Will you just be quiet?” 

There was a huff then silence followed. Whoever had been complaining was quickly put in their place, but the quiet left Miguel uncomfortable. He was too scared to breathe, for if he did too loudly, he feared the two would become annoyed and hassle him. 

But his chest grew tight from the lack of oxygen he was getting and soon he was having to take a deep breath. Huddling into himself, he waited and listened for any indication that the two others were on the move.

No sounds came from the direction they had last been in, but this wasn’t so much as a relief as Miguel wanted it to be. As he had been doing, he remained as quiet as possible, keeping to his thoughts for a moment longer. 

Why did they take him? He didn’t have anything they’d want! He wasn’t special. 

A soft whimper started to build in his throat, but he tried his best to fight it back. He didn’t want them knowing he was awake. Yet, his emotions were getting the better of him; all he wanted was to be back home. He wanted Papá Julio. He wanted to joke with Tío Oscar, laugh with Tío Felipe. Hug Mamá Coco. 

He wanted to see Mamá Imelda. 

“Hey, niño,” came a soft voice, “we know you’re awake.” 

A palm made contact with the top of Miguel’s head, causing his to flinch away harshly. The material bag was taken from his head, cool air fanning across his face. Panicked, Miguel tried to shuffle away, using his shoulder to push himself back from the looming man. It hurt to move so quickly along the cracked tile floor, but Miguel was too busy being focused on making space between himself and the man. 

“Hey- cálmese, niño,” he urged, hands up to show he wasn’t going to hurt him. Miguel, however, could only look at him in horror. Eyes followed the line of sight of Miguel’s, grey eyes widening before quickly hiding the pocket knife behind his back, “it’s not what you think!” 

“O-Oh yeah! It looked like a knife-“ 

“A knife? No- it’s…” a pause, then the man was dropping into a deadpan stare, voice monotone, “alright, it’s a knife.” 

“Sebastián,” an exasperated sigh escaped the other present, “you’re going to scare the kid to death.” 

“I was only going to cut him free…” Sebastián muttered, raising an eyebrow at Miguel as though questioning the boy if it was really that bad. Gulping, Miguel pushed himself up into a seat position, trembling a little as he watched the two.   
Sebastián rolled his eyes, before gesturing with his free hand and the knife for him to come closer, “come on, I can’t set you free if you don’t let me.” 

Cautiously, Miguel shuffled closer, reaching his bound wrists out to the man. With care, he began to cut away at the ropes, tugging them off before going to his ankles, “see?” 

“Gracias, Señor,” Miguel muttered warily, pulling his legs up to his chest as he hunched in on himself once again. Sebastián chuckled, before standing to his feet, “de nada, niño- did you hear him, Raul? He called me Señor.” 

“He’ll learn soon enough you’re far from that,” Raul huffed, shaking his head as Sebastián came to stand by his side. He was much taller than Raul, so he took the opportunity to pat his head jokingly. Raul swatted at his hands, before muttering sharply, “anyway, we have to remember why we’re out here for. It’s not to mess around, mijo.” 

“Don’t call me mijo.” 

“We found one of them and now we have to get him back to Shanty Town,” Raul reminded, “we’ll need to set off soon. We need to be back before it’s dark.” 

It seemed that a deal had been struck silently between the two, as Sebastián nodded, followed by him gesturing for Miguel to stand,”get up, we need to go.” 

“Okay!” Miguel shot to his feet, tugging the sleeve of his right arm with his left hand nervously. Waiting for the other two to move, Miguel dared not shift his body an inch; he still didn’t know if these guys were going to hurt him, so he ought to play it safe. Maybe as they walk he could try and lose them? He was good at sneaking off- he could try that- 

“Niño,” the one called Raul watched him with a narrowed gaze, “come on, this way.” 

Brows furrowed, disliking that he was being ordered around like a child. Who did these people think they were, anyway? He shrugged off the comment, taking his time to join the two, though still complying with the order. He still had to behave, to make sure they didn’t hurt him, but it didn’t mean he had to do it with joy. Yes, he was scared, but he couldn’t help but feel a little put out about being told what to do. 

Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he trudged on behind the two men, who were talking hushedly. Not that he wanted to listen in to them, anyway, Miguel was too busy trying to figure out when he should make a break for it. He wasn’t entirely sure where he was, but he would surely find his way home? He just had to look for some signs, follow the roads…

He heaved a sigh. He had to accept it; he was lost. 

But, maybe he could make it back to the house they’d just come from - it wasn’t far, he could have a look from there where he needed to go. That had to be the best way for him. He peered at the two, slowing his pace until he was a distance away. However, he was urged to speed up when a gruff voice called, “I can see you trying to sneak off.” 

Miguel looked to the older man of the two, Raul, and watched as he scratched at the scruff he called a beard. Scrunching up his nose, Miguel couldn’t help but huff. He stomped over to the two, knowing it would be hard lines to try and escape. They seemed to sense when he was about to run. Were they psychic? No, they couldn’t be. They were morons, though. Well, at least Sebastián was. You could even tell that Raul thought as much, though there seemed to be a fondness for the other’s antics. 

For most of the walk, though, Miguel didn’t pay any attention to the two men. His mind was on other things, more important things. Of course, he was still thinking of ways he could get away, but mostly? Mostly he was thinking about home. He wondered if they’d noticed he’d gone by now? Maybe they would… maybe they wouldn’t. He hoped they would. 

He shook off those thoughts. It wasn’t going to be like that again. *They would be worried about him.* He was more than certain. 

The further they walked, the more the buildings began to look lively again. Of course, beyond the walls, the world had gotten to be quite lonely, or so that’s what Miguel had heard. He could only agree from what he had seen so far; greyed houses with faded painted writing on the walls. What had once been vibrant and alive colours were now drained, sickly, and the land was seemingly the same. It was as though an illness had swept across the land and taken the strength of everything away. The windows of each house were dusty, broken or not there at all. Inside these homes, most thing were left abandoned, some as though a person could walk straight back into the scene and start right where they’d left off. 

He hadn’t many memories of the start of things, but he hadn’t thought the effects had been this bad. 

He could feel his mouth grow dry and as they passed one particular house, the front door was perched open. Inside was dark, a hallway leading from the room all the way down into the back of the home. You could tell there were broken windows and damaged shutters, as little glimmers of untainted sunlight broke through and pooled on the fading paint and cracked tiled floors. 

The boy slowed to a stop, hands hanging numbly at his side, as his eyes fixated inside.

Mouth stood slightly agape, as his voice strained to let itself be heard; he couldn’t tear his gaze away, whether that be for shock or horror or even both mixed into one harsh emotion. In fact, it made him feel sick to his stomach, and he could feel panic begin to rise in his chest once again. 

The two men turned to see why he had stopped, only to catch sight of the object of his fear. Quickly, Sebastián was guiding the boy away by his wrist, as Raul stepped up to the door. He leant in, grabbing the handle, before respectfully pulling the door shut. 

Before it did, Miguel looked over his shoulder one last time, catching sight of the white bone with mottled sparse flesh still clinging onto it, despite being long after decomposed. 

He wanted Mamá Coco, Mamá Imelda. He wanted to be back home. 

“Don’t worry, niño,” whispered Sebastián, offering the boy a sympathetic, yet stiff smile. No kid should have to see that, alas, that was the way of the world now. Especially in this area. 

“We’re almost there,” Raul assured, motioning with his hand towards a further away part of town. Homes were built up, with small connecting bridges between the homes - it looked like one huge house built into one, but made of smaller broken apart rooms. Miguel couldn’t help but look in awe, somewhat. There were no walls, no security- it’s like they lived unafraid of what was out there. Or… well, he didn’t want to think about that. 

“Why did you bring me here?” he asked, tugging at his sleeve. 

“Well, we got told to get one thing, couldn’t find it, and then we got-” 

Raul nudged Sebastián’s arm, urging him to remember the task. Miguel pulled a face as the two walked off, beginning to guide him to the entrance of the group of homes. He found that it was called Shanty Town, the letters painted over a crumbling archway. He guessed that the archway actually used to be the wall of a home, but it had been partially knocked down, as well as receiving a new hole. It was vastly different than what he got told the outside was like; he didn’t realise things were this bad. Maybe they hadn’t been? 

Once the three had entered the town, Miguel was faced with many unknown faces. They were gathering, looming, all wishing to get a look at new boy. 

The hollowed people held themselves numbly, faces gaunt and greyed. In yellowed eyes, reddened spiderweb veins mottled the surrounding area of the iris, a hazy sheen of discomfort glossed over their gaze. Voices trembled, hoarse and painful, as they groaned out curious gasps over the overwhelmed boy. 

Dry, cracked skin was bruised with harsh bulbous blisters, populating the skin in hoards. They were sore, thick yellow pus oozing from the infected sores and the dried had thick scans clinging on. Healed scars were white and looked like thin silk, but still painted a horrible story on their bodies. 

Miguel wanted to recoil away from their brittle, bony fingers, though was too afraid to push past them, for fear of breaking their fragile bones. The people hunched over, cradling their stomachs and heads through their cries for knowledge of the boy.

Of the people who were sprawled on the ground, there were some in tears, rolling around in agony. Others were walking fragilely, moving around to go care for others. 

His heart popped up into his throat, as the people swamped him; the two men who had brought him tried to push through the masses, to grasp the boy and drag him out. Whether that be to safety, Miguel didn’t know, but one thing he did know was that here was dangerous. 

He shouldn’t be around these people. These people could kill him. 

He let out a cry, edging away from curious clawing hands, before his feet allowed to take off in a hysterical panic. He shot away, through the confusing winding alleys of the town. He jumped back from odd people who leered at him from the shadows, their skin covered in rashes and boils. They looked horrifying- it was like he was prisoner in some nightmare. 

That’s all it was! A nightmare- he just needed to wake up. 

He closed his eyes, pinching his arm as hard as he could. 

That’s it. That’s all he had to do- wake up. Wake up! Wake up! 

“Hey, chamaco- watch out!” 

A loud grunt of dulled pain sounded from Miguel, as he collided with another before stumbling backwards. Another sharp hiss of pain was heard in front of him, causing Miguel to look up in horror. However, he was met with a tired but friendly looking face, though it was currently contorted in discomfort. The man was rubbing at his chest, wincing before he put his attention on the boy. 

“You should be careful, chamaco,” he offered, “are you alright?” 

Distant cries of his name could be heard and Miguel could only shake his head at the man, “no- some people are after me.” 

“Oh- no, that’s not good,” the man ruffled his goatee. Miguel didn’t have time to be standing around thinking, so in a hurry he tugged the man’s arm and dragged him into a side alley. There was a door open, just by a margin, and the two shot in there. 

Keeping quiet, they listened out, waiting until the frantic searching voices had long since passed their hiding place. Panting, Miguel kept his gaze on the door, hoping desperately that everyone had gone.

It may have been a few minutes later before Miguel took a calming breath, tearing his gaze away from the closed door and focusing on the person before him. No words left his mouth. He was still trying to recover from the adrenaline rushing through him. Luckily for the boy, the man took the initiative and began to natter. 

“So, looks like you’re wanted by a lot of people, huh?” He offered out his hand, “my name is Héctor.” 

Miguel tucked his hands under his armpits, huddling into himself before offering a quiet, “Miguel.” 

“Well, mijo, looks like we’re going to need to stick together,” Héctor beamed, before scratching his chin, “I can’t let a kid like you wander around by yourself. Come on, let’s go.” 

Reluctantly, Miguel followed behind Héctor, unable to see what else he could really do. 

At least he seemed nice, thought Miguel, that was an upgrade from the last people he was with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! As always, if there is anything I can better please let me know, I am always open to constructive criticism! 
> 
> Have a wonderful day!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


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